“Viagra or some other kind of blue pill,” Troy huffed.
“Okay. If you need to stop, say so. Have you had an erection since your attack?” Mac asked.
“Nothing to write home about.” Troy’s heartrate was finally coming down.
“That’s good; I know my mom would faint if I wrote to her about that,” Mac joked.
Troy managed a small laugh. “Yeah, but they soften quickly.”
“Are they all alike, or are some different?”
“How’d you know? Duh, this is what you do. A little stronger when, um, thinking about someone. And in the morning.”
“Your pathway is functional. You just need to learn to rebuild that muscle memory. And we will work together to remove some of your emotional blocks. That’s it for today. Go home and get some sleep. Beth, we need to talk. Gentlemen, we will reconvene at…?” He looked at Tim.
“Troy’s mom gets in at 0700. Let’s say ten o’clock to be safe.”
“1000 it is. Julian, he gets the workday off tomorrow.”
“You got it,” Julian sighed.
Troy swallowed hard. “Beth, Martin? Trask? Jule? I…”
Julian took his friend’s hands. “I am so sorry about what they put you through. Whatweput you through. You didn’t do anything wrong. And nothing that happened will change how I’ve always felt about you and feel about you.”
“Same here. My feelings for you have not changed,” Trask said.
“You know how I feel,” Martin chimed in. As soon as Troy regained consciousness following the incident, Martin talked through his own guilt with him.
“Thanks. I’m alright. Go home,” Troy said.
“I’ve got him. I’ll get him home,” Trask offered.
"I’m grabbing In and Out for Holly. What can I get you?” Julian smiled.
“Don’t worry about me; I want to check on Gwen.”
“Don’t spend too long with her. She needs rest, and so do you. I’ll see you in the morning,” Mac said.
“Doc, a quick question, your legs?” Troy asked.
“Home on leave from Helmand, round two. Get shot in a bank robbery. That’s when I earned my PhD. I didn’t have the stamina to do procedures.
“As I recovered my strength, I realized the rehabs don’t spend enough time on sexual function, and I had the best care. My mom and dad had the funding. It took a while to find a talented urologist. He treated me as a patient, and then I worked professionally with him for three years when I regained my strength.My wife is pregnant with our second, made the old-fashioned way, with a little pharmaceutical help.”
“Thanks, Doc.” Troy sighed. “Tim, thanks. I’m blowing up your schedule.”
“No worries. I always have a contingency plan. Trask, you okay to get him home?” Tim asked.
“Yeah,” he answered.
Elizabeth Bailey walked into Troy’s arms and whispered into his ear, “Over hill, over dale, until we hit the dusty trail.” He laughed. “I love you.” She kissed each cheek and headed out with Martin and Mac.
Alone with Trask, he said, “That breakdown didn’t insure confidence.” He looked down at his hands.
“What breakdown? Go get dressed.” Trask smiled.
As Troy changed, he thought about Gwen and how much she went through.I’m an ass. They can’t win anymore.
